Tumour victim in film appeal

Martin Hopley was given only 10 months to live shortly before his 18th birthday.

Now at 23, Martin's non-malignant tumour has stopped growing and with herbal treatments,

pain killing medication and a healthy diet, he leads a relatively normal life.

His dream is to see his script - called Metronome - made into a TV drama and he is looking for financial backing to get it made.

The story is about a girl called Heather and describes the shock, confusion and horror she feels as she discovers as a 14-year-old that she has a tumour in her head.

The pain of a "thousand hammers pounding" in her skull, the nausea and the blackouts are all described with shocking realism.

The script is Martin's story exactly as it

happened to him from the age of 14 to 17.

Martin was diagnosed with a tumour on the pineal gland, which caused hydrocephalus or water on the brain.

The tumour, just above the spinal chord, acted as a plug preventing the normal flow of fluid around the brain and down the spine. Pressure built up inside his head causing nausea and blackouts.

Martin's script describes the shock of waking up from a blackout in John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford surrounded by strangers having no idea what has happened.

And then came the slow painful realisation that he was not going to be a normal child and that his illness was not going to go away.

The surgeon at first refused to operate on the tumour to ease the condition because it is in such a sensitive part of the brain controlling movement and emotion.

But a brain scan showed the tumour had grown and the surgeon finally decided something had to be done to reduce it.

Martin was given the choice. Without the operation he would slip into a coma and die. With it, he had a one in three chance of losing control of his arms, eyes or legs, becoming severely disabled - or dying.

The operation went ahead and part of the tumour - the size of a small egg was removed.

Martin was left with double vision and some loss of co-ordination when standing still. The radiotherapy and steroid treatment that followed caused weight gain and some deafness.

In February 1997 when he was 17 he was told that the tumour was still growing and that there was little left that the surgeon could do.

He said: "You can't imagine what it is like being told that you are going to die at that age. It feels so unfair."

But Martin's story has not ended yet. His tumour has stopped growing - although he says it could start growing again - and despite some limitation he leads a full life - regularly walking all the way to Reading from his home in Lower Earley to keep fit.

He said: "The most important thing for me now is to get my script made into a film."

Martin has approached the Prince's Trust and is now appealing to local businesses for funding.

Anyone who would like to talk to Martin about his film can call (07976) 350408.